New Beginnings
by Tallent
Summary: JJ opens up to Hotch and life continues on.
1. Chapter 1

A/N--Criminal Minds? Nope, not remotely mine.

No Beta, so any errors are mine, all mine!

This was a late night story rush when I realized just had badly I missed JJ/Hotch interactions.

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The white jet's nose lifted up and the rest of it's body followed suit. Inside the cabin, Hotch and JJ were settled easily into their respective chairs finishing up their own ends of the now closed case.

An hour had gone by in easy silence. The work was done and they each took advantage of the break that would end when the jet landed at the Quantico airstrip. Hotch's eyes were closed, head tilted back, and he had unwillingly lost himself to the lure of the jet's muffled hum. JJ had stolen a few glances in between losing herself out the window before her window view won. But in between she watched his chest rise and fall and studied the structure of his side view. A good view, she surmised and pushed down the quiver that announced itself to her stomach nearly every time she looked at herboss. Will may not have been perfect but he was observant and he noticed the effect Aaron Hotchner had on JJ when they were together. He had called her on it more than once and never fully believed that their relationship was purely professional. She sighed. JJ would never have given up Henry, but to modify time to a place when things were simpler, when she maybe could have potentially had the option to even think about saying something to Hotch would have been nice. If wishes were horses, she sighed again. She gave her attention back to the window. It was so easy to lose herself watching the blue sky above the clouds and nothing else.

It was a long quiet while before Hotch's voice startled her. "How much are thoughts going for these days?"

"I'm sorry?" she asked, turning toward him and gave a confused smile.

"With the economy the way it is...could be a buyers market." He tried for the joke and was rewarded when JJ smiled.

"I thought you were asleep."

"Was." No need to burden her with the nightmares he endured when his eyes closed. It never lasted long but his sleeping record was hovering at about an hour at time without any extracurricular aids.

JJ gave a short nod and glanced back out the window. Land was still invisible below them. "Rest of the team flying back commercial..." She drawled out slowly.

"We got a request for a profiling seminar upstate. Be back tomorrow."

Nodding, she answered "Well. I have a lot to do when we get back-"

"Have some time with Henry and Will." He finished for her.

It was only for a second but Hotch saw her involuntary hesitation and wondered why so much with JJ was still a mystery. She gave a small smile and spoke, "I swear each time I see him, that Henry has grown." A thought struck suddenly and she was glad to turn the conversation. She lightly scrutinized him as she spoke. "The team is giving the seminar. Without you." It was a statement but the questioning tone was there.

"I have an appointment I need to keep." A simple enough explanation but it carried with it significant weight. Therapy after Foyet's attack? A good thing and she was glad if that's what it was. The team was still relatively in the darkabout Hotch's personal life. They all had their suspicions, a few had assumptions but JJ just tried to trust him. He'd always been their rock, their compass, and she wouldn't forget that. She gave a forced smile, letting the subject evaporate, and hesitated for a second as she squinted and again took in his rugged looks. A small sigh drifted from her as she resettled in her chair and gazed back out the window.

JJ's looks sometimes warmed him and sometimes made him uncomfortable. Now the former turned to the latter. He thought she'd been about to speak, and sometimes when she looked that way he honestly thought she was getting ready to tell him something important, something unknown to him about herself. He believed it so thoroughly that subconsciously he leaned forward slightly, ready to hear. But then she'd stop, as if some warning bell had gone off in her head, and her mouth would simply close. Done. He found himself feeling disappointed. They didn't typically engage in casual conversation but when they did it left him smiling and feeling, what's the word, happy for hours.

He watched her now. Side profile, eyes locked on the outside of the jet. Blonde hair, lithe build, beautiful and….sad. He usually thought of her as 'efficient' but not now. Now she simply looked sad and he wondered if she'd been this way in Michigan, during the case, before they left? Sighing, he wished he knew the words to say to compel her to trust in him. The two of them on the plane alone was a rare event and all of a sudden he was wishing for some interjection from his missing team. And while he was wishing he realized that he still had no idea what she'd been thinking about.

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The jet landed and it's passengers disembarked quietly. Once inside the building each headed to their respective office to file paperwork and make phone alls. Hours passed and night fell before they saw each other again. Seven o'clock and Hotch was on his way out while JJ was on the way back to her office with a fresh cup of coffee.

"You're still here?" he asked her, surprised. She'd thrown her hair up in a sloppy yet still attractive ponytail and dark circles were beginning to form under her blue eyes.

"Yeah. I'm just going though some new cases." Sometimes her words and tone came out more pointed than she intended, so her expression tried to convey ease. "Never a lull."

Hotch eyed her, somewhat suspicious. "Don't stay too late. I'm sure Henry and Will can't wait to see you." He told her as he walked past. She raised her coffee cup in a mock salute as she turned and headed back to her office.

Back in her office, JJ sat down hard in her chair and grabbed one of the picture frames that housed a recent picture of herself with her son. "Happy" she thought, summing up the tone of the picture. JJ smiled and put the picture back in it's spot. Sighing, she turned back to the massive amount of papers and files that currently called her desk home. She allowed her elbows to bond to her desk and she held her head, rubbing her temples. Garcia was home with Kevin and with no one waiting on her, she planned on putting in a long night with no distractions.

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Hotch drew a deep breath and eased down on the gas pedal. Even though his therapy appointments were at times agonizing and always uncomfortable, he did have to admit that he always felt safe there. Now in the car, driving off of the Quantico base the cool night air poured through his open windows and his nerves ratcheted back up to Red Alert status. Hotch was by nature a strong man. His childhood past had shaped his adult self. But now, Now. He was as though he were seven years old again and scared all the time. As an adult he didn't call it 'scared' of course. He used words like Hyper Vigilant and Overly Cautious, but his therapist broke it down to one basic word. Scared. He didn't argue back, just let the unfamiliar word hang in the air and eyed the cold art pieces that had been incorrectly chosen to convey warmth and homeyness.

"Find some peace somewhere in your day. Start there, a quiet moment you can allow yourself. A moment you can trust. It's there, the warmth, the security. Look for it." He nodded, acknowledging her words but he wondered if his therapist should just ask him to be on the lookout for unicorns and leprechauns--the task was just as huge. But he'd nodded and would pretend to acquiesce.

Following the late appointment he went home and tried to sleep. The doctor's words haunted him after each session and he'd gotten to the point where he was willing to try and do what she asked of him. It couldn't hurt, he decided. Worst case is that nothing would change. And that really was the worst case.

In trying to sleep Hotch let his mind wander. The previous case ran before his eyes and he was more or less satisfied with the outcome. The unsub had been caught and his latest victim had been found without physical harm. Moving past, he reviewed his interaction with JJ on the plane. It troubled him that he never felt quite like he fit with her. He always seemed to be placed just on her fringe and he didn't know exactly why that was. There was a time, pre-Will, when he'd felt more connected to her, but obviously she withdrew once she went public with their relationship in Miami.

A low growl escaped his throat as he grabbed the pillow from under his head and sat up. Without the pills sleep just didn't happen anymore, but he was trying to pry away that crutch. Again, trying what the doctor asked. Instead, he allowed himself two fingers of scotch and some mindless tv before grabbing his ID and keys and headed back to the BAU.

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It was late and most of the offices on this floor were dark. The bullpen would be dimly lit, he knew, but stepping off the elevator Hotch was genuinely surprised to see the light coming from the office up ahead was JJ's. He walked softly and stopped just short of the door where he could watch her for a moment. She looked tired and pale, and the dark circles that had threatened earlier had claimed their territory under her eyes. Her hair was still off of her face but small tendrils had fallen as she'd worked and continued to creep forward no matter how many times she pushed them back.

"Hey," he said softly as he stepped forward and leaned into the door jamb, facing her desk. "You're still here." Like hers earlier in the day, it was a statement but with the questioning undertone.

"Ohmigod!" JJ had been unaware of Hotch's presence until he'd spoken and he had legitimately scared her. Her hand was over her chest and she'd pushed back in her chair, breathing hard. He didn't know why he found her reaction funny, it was a valid reaction and one he should be sorry for, but instead he pushed out a quiet

Smile while his chest rose with a short laugh. "JJ I'm sorry, I should have knocked."

"Jesus, Hotch," she said, wiping her mouth with her full hand. "I think that may have nearly been a heart attack." Her hand went back to her chest to feel her heart still beating wildly. "I--I've been working." Sheanswered simply and shrugged, wondering why her boss was here at...oh God, was it eally 1:47 in the morning? "Why are you here?"

"Couldn't sleep just seems too simple, doesn't it?" He asked, the words falling out before he registered them. His demeanor was now so solemn and a rush of sadness washed over JJ for him.

She held his gaze a half moment before speaking. "Bad dreams suck," she replied and he laughed.

"Well put." He sat in the chair across from her and leaned forward, taking a file from her desk. "So what are we looking at?"

Her heartbeat slowing to a near normal rate, JJ moved her hand to sweep it across the folders. "Bad dreams from all across the great USA.."

Hotch leaned forward and took one of the top folders from her desk and opened it, perusing it while she spoke.

"A string of schools set on fire outside of Des Moines, 5 people missing from the Mall of America within two weeks--" she paused a second before continuing. "A series of hit and runs victimizing the elderly in Baltimore, 4 elementary school children missing from a handful of field trips outside of Syracuse, home invasions in El Paso…" She trailed off but in reality she could have gone on and on. There was always horror somewhere and a tired and out of options police force who had put in their paperwork for a BAU request. It was JJ's job to decide who would get their attention. She sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair, eyes still scanning the top layer of her desk.

He closed the folder and returned to the desk. "JJ why haven't you gone home? "

Her eyes snapped up and met his. "Same reason you came in?" she ventured. Neither wanted to be at home.

"But...Will....--" Aaron Hotchner didn't understand.

JJ's surveyed her boss and felt the need to trust. To tell. Her wall of conviction broke and chose her words carefully as she willed herself to keep her composure. ".here. He's in N'awlins." She drawled emphatically and shrugged. "Turns out," she tried to keep her tone light and stretched back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling for a beat. "You can take the boy out of the bayou…but not for very long."

He eyed her as a surge of protectiveness threatened to overwhelm him. "JJ, how long…?"

"A little more than two months." She looked at her boss and smiled ruefully. "At least he was honest. That's more than I can say for me. But he's Henry's dad, y'know? And I guess it was just easier to pretend." She finished softly.

Taking a deep breath, she finished her story. "Will went back to the police force. Needed some retraining, and starts back next Wednesday. So Henry's with him for the week before he starts." Suddenly she shook her head and laughed quietly.

"What?" he asked.

"You don't find this funny?"

He was completely at a loss. "I don't find any of this funny."

"We're sitting here at nearly two in the morning, looking at files, and I just blurt out that my life has somehow turned to complete shit?"

"I think if anyone can appreciate a life turned to shit, it's probably me." He answered gently.

JJ's eyes opened wide and she was instantly sorry. "Oh, Hotch, you know I didn't...I mean, what you've gone through I can't even imagine..."

"So don't." he stopped her. "And that's not exactly what I meant. I just meant....You can talk to me JJ." He watched her carefully for a moment. "I want you to know that."

JJ accepted his offer reluctantly. She was used to trying to keep herself together and her private life as private as possible. But she'd crumbled tonight and was left feeling vulnerable. "I guess...I know that." She answered slowly. "I don't know if I could help--" she bit her lip quickly. "but if I could ever...if you needed...I'm here. too."

"Thanks." He countered. "You look like you need a few hours of sleep."

"Yeah," she agreed, quickly and eyed the small couch at the back wall of the office. "Tomorrow will..."

"The team will be back in the late afternoon. You look like a woman who needs a bed." She looked at him quickly and they both pinked slightly. He corrected with, "not a small couch in a small office. Go home, get some real rest."

She didn't say anything for a half a moment and, he acted on impulse, surprising even himself. "C'mon He extended a hand to the blonde and neither spoke for a minute, waiting.

Finally, JJ accepted the offer but not the hand. "Okay. I could probably use a driver." She relented and tried to stifle a yawn.

Her jacket on and purse in hand, Agents Jareau and Hotchner walked down the hallway to the elevator.

"Hotch...? Didn't you come in to work?" JJ laughed out loud, motioning behind them back toward the bullpen's doors.

"I don't really know why I came in." Hotch answered truthfully as the elevator opened. "But I'm glad I did."

They stood side by side in the elevator neither one speaking but both of them feeling slightly off center.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sadly, no one has called, emailed, or been in any kind of contact about gifting the rights of CM to me. So nope, still not mine**.

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JJ sat in her office going over her narrowed list of cases. Unable to concentrate her mind drifted toward the other evening when her boss had become her confidante and driven her home in the early morning hours. She remembered them chatting easily during the ride.

_I really hope this isn't too far out of your way_, she'd apologized.

_It's really not_, he'd assured her.

He'd asked about Henry and quietly discussed the effect of Jack's absence on him. Tit for tat. She'd opened up to him, and here in the dark of the car, he creaked open his personal life to her in little bits.

Since then, he'd checked on her throughout the days, making sure she didn't keep herself alone. And she'd forward him completely inappropriate for work jokes knowing he'd laugh in the privacy of his office or at the very least smile in appreciation.

Very subtly, there had been a shift in their relationship. Too small for either one to see but enough to feel that they could each be more open to the other.

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"Hola chica!" Penelope Garcia's hand slammed against the doorjamb as she came around the corner, broad smile and purse in hand. "Ready for lunch?"

JJ was momentarily taken aback. "Lunch?" And then the realization that a) it truly was time for lunch and b) she had for once changed plans. "Oh Pen, I'm so sorry--"

"For what?" Garcia asked, unclear. They always had lunch together on Tuesdays. It was an unspoken rule that if the team were in the building, she and JJ would hit the buffet at China Village or at least order take out if they were too busy. The point was they had a routine. They always did lunch.

"Hotch and I are going over some files at one, which is…." She threw a glance at the clock and panicked, "ehrm, just about now. It's a working lunch thing. Pen. I'm sorry." She apologized as she began to collect files and load them in her arms.

Garcia looked horrified and JJ instinctively took her recoil as shock she would break plans. "You're _lunching_ with Hotch? You're chinese cheating on me with **Hotch**?"

JJ ignored the cheating accusation and tried to explain. "He wants me to prioritize cases and I'm...I'm having trouble--" The thought of putting her cases in a line broke her heart and she was having trouble getting around it. But Strauss was breathing down Hotch's neck, she knew, and some cases would be easier to justify, less costly to initiate. "He's helping me."

"Helping himself to my--" Garcia began hotly before being cut off by Hotch's face appearing in the doorway. "JJ, you ready? I've got sesame chicken and hot and sour soup."

"Be right there." JJ nodded as he left, and looked like a child who had gotten caught doing something she shouldn't have.

"Hussy!" Garcia breathed. A beat later she plopped herself down in front of JJ's desk and eagerly launched in to her interrogation. "Seriously, since when do you work through lunch?"

"What are you talking about? I always work through lunch."

"Uh, no-no-no, my pet. You walk your high heeled self outta here daily for some fresh air and a lunch from one of three places: China Village, Roma's or Subway." She counted off the choices on three fingers.

Was she really that predictable? "Ask Morgan to go to lunch." JJ deflected, inching toward the door.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I can't talk about Morgan _with_ Morgan."

"Pen, I have to go. Aaron's wait--

Suddenly, Garcia jumped up and closed the door to the office. "**Whoa, whoa, whoa**! _Who_ is doing what?"

JJ was becoming impatient. "What?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You said Aaron. **Aaron**."

"Wha-? No, I didn't." JJ denied.

"Yes. Yes, you did. You didn't say Hotch. Or Boss. Or stoic Unit Chief. **You**.. _Aaron_" she punctuated, pointing her finger in the air at JJ with each last word.

JJ was trying to retrieve the last thirty seconds of conversation. She hadn't said Aaron, she'd said Hotch. Right? That's how she knew him, what she always called him. Aaron would be too....familiar. Looking slightly nervous at the prospect of potentially having called Hotch by his first name out loud, JJ walked around her desk and attempted to get past her friend. "You're being ridiculous." She sputtered as she walked around and opened her door.

"Sure, walk out. First chinese with...**Hotch**," she emphasized his common moniker. "Then what?" she called as JJ tried to ignore her and slipped out the door. Two seconds later she reappeared, still clutching her files to her chest. "You're crazy." she deadpanned. "There's nothing there. It's just lunch."

Garcia gave the most obvious, smug, smile she could create. "Who said there **was** something there?" Garcia deadpanned.

JJ paled and quickly turned and walked away. Garcia jumped up and called down the hall, "I'll wait for your call! You know you'll come crawling back!"

Her back to Garcia and gaining distance, JJ rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and headed down the hall to Aa--Hotch's office. _Damn it_!


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: Another idea that wouldn't let me go so here it is all banged out. Hope to flesh out the next part a bit better. Thanks so much for the nice reviews so far!! ******

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The neon sign sizzled quietly as it bore its name _The Blue Tusk_ in the window of the small bar. It was a familiar place to the BAU team, the place they frequented after cases, and they all reveled in its normalcy.

The team sat together, minus Rossi who'd scored 'Skins tickets at the last minute and dragged Reid with him, at a large round table chatting aimlessly with drinks cluttering the table. They'd been there a while and were settling in for a few more hours.

"No, no, no," Prentiss argued with Morgan. "The lace holding on to the glass after you drink the beer tells you that it's good." She drained the beer and demonstrated the frothy aftermath on her glass. "See?"

"Okay, Emily, you win," Morgan consented, uncaring. When Emily Prentiss drank arguments were concocted that made no sense at all. They'd all grown to appreciate her tirades against the smallest things and were all glad that what happened at the bar, stayed at the bar. Unwinding after gruesome cases was a necessity and they allowed each other the space and freedom to do so without repercussions.

Garcia arrived at the table with a new round of drinks and passed them around. As she passed JJ hers she raised her eyebrows and pointedly told her, "And this one didn't cost a pretty penny. Courtesy of that special mound of goodness over there." The team looked to follow her direction and noticed the spun around young man in the three-piece suit watching them.

JJ was immediately uncomfortable and wasn't immune to her boss' stiffening posture to her right. "Um." She swallowed and lifted her new beer in his direction. "Thanks!" she called.

"Aren't you going to go over and say thanks in person? Society today has become so intolerant of good and simple gestures—" Eyes rolled at the table and Hotch took it upon himself to rescue JJ.

"Hey c'mon. How about a game of darts?"

"**Darts!"** JJ 's face contorted in shock. "Darts? You want to play me at darts?" Was he really unaware of her skill with this game?

The team erupted with taunts and laughter.

"Let's go." he challenged with a superior tone. "Unless you're afraid of a little competition..."

JJ was surprised at the mocking and took the challenge in stride. If he wanted to be humiliated, well, it wasn't like he hadn't been warned. "Oh, it's so on." she deadpanned and led him over to the dartboard.

"Ladies first," Hotch offered graciously.

JJ shrugged and accepted leading off the game. Dart in hand, she lined up the shot, aimed and released the small, pointed missile. Bulls-eye. She gloated without remorse as she moved out of the way to allow Hotch his turn.

He too took his stance seriously and JJ felt a tinge of nerves bubble up inside her. He didn't look like someone who for fun offered up a game of darts. Instead he looked like someone who knew what he was doing and had played his share of the game. JJ's brow furrowed as he shot and the dart found its mark beside hers.

"What was that?" Hotch taunted her, grinning. "I do believe that was the sound-- of a bulls-eye!"

JJ was in shock as Morgan lifted up his drink and yelled, "Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we gots ourselves a ring-ah!"

"You've played before," JJ accused as she stepped past him and took her second shot.

"Maybe," he conceded. "Some. Nice shot." He complimented as she scored again and moved aside for his turn.

Another good shot and JJ groaned. They played for points up until the end where they were tied.

Emily and Garcia had moved over and watched the game about three quarters through. And now that it was winding down they decided to have some fun.

"BO-ring!" yelled Emily, cupping her hand to her mouth.

"Let's make this game interesting!!" Garcia demanded.

The two players had been the subject of much speculation at the table and the team was frustrated by the lack of actual news about them. While the working lunch was a tidbit, it could be justified and it just didn't enthuse the rest of the team as it had Garcia.

Hotch and JJ tolerated the peanut gallery throughout the game but JJ was becoming annoyed. She'd been having a good time, a few beers, and a good game of darts. Then they started with their teasing. A few minutes of it was fine but with alcohol in their systems they thought they were way funnier than they really were and showed no signs of stopping.

JJ stepped up to take her last shot as Emily began her evaluation. Loudly. "Good stance. Ladies and gentlement, Jennifer Jareau--JJ to her friends, has worked hard to get to this point. She's developed her aim by working with monkeys who--"

"Do you mind?!" JJ interrupted. "This is for the win."

"Yeah, right. Keep dreaming." Hotch retorted as leaned against the end of the bar and took a swig of beer.

She shot him a look as Morgan sauntered over, having heard the last exchange. "Then let's make it mean something!" he drummed the bar.

"I hope you all remember who you work for in the morning." Hotch mock warned.

"Tequila!" Garcia shouted. "Loser shoots tequila!"

The collective bunch began chanting the name of the liquor as JJ looked to Hotch.

He put out his hands. "Hey, I'm not worried. I've had my share of tequila...."

_Ah ha_, thought JJ, _he's nervous he won't win_.

"But then again, I've got this game locked up."

JJ's confidence drained away as her competitive edge kicked in to overdrive. "Yeah? We'll see then, won't we."

"Seriously JJ? That's your smack talk?!" groaned a disgusted Morgan. "I can't watch. Ladies, let me know what happens."

Garcia and Emily agreed and continued to look on as Morgan walked away.

The dart hit the board hard. "Bulls-eye." JJ smirked, having gained a lead of two points. Aaron Hotchner would need another bullseye to win and while he was good, well, JJ noticed how little of his beer was left and that while he'd started strong his game had drifted somewhat as they'd played.

"Nice." Hotch complimented. "Game points, here. Prentiss, get that shot ready." He lined up his shot, aimed...

"JJ lift your shirt up!" Prentiss giggled and was met with JJ's death stare. "Sorry! Just trying to help..."

While JJ was distracted Hotch took his shot and seeing the result, stood smugly smiling.

"What?!" JJ demanded as she looked from the tall man to the dartboard. "No way!"

"Bulls-eye." He replied simply.

"And the student becomes the teacher!" Garcia yelled. "Come get your shot Baby J!""

"Nice game," complimented Hotch as they began pulling the darts from the board.

"You too," JJ conceded. "Even if it wasn't played with total honesty."

"JJ, I didn't lie to you. I never said I was good or bad.

I just asked if you wanted to play."

Knowing she'd been beaten all the way around, she closed her eyes for a second before taking a deep breath and closed the short distance to her friends. Garcia held the shot glass out to her as Morgan walked back over and saw.

"Oh Man, no! JJ, really?" He shook his head then turned to Hotch. "Way to play." he appreciated.

JJ expertly took the shot and grimaced at the after taste, shuddering slightly.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N—I know it's kind of clunky but I a) wanted to update and b) do have a plan with this story. This is just to get it moving.

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JJ was able to hold her alcohol well, Aaron Hotchner noted as they stood, putting on their jackets. Morgan had taken Garcia home earlier and Prentiss was chatting easily with a guy at the bar.

The cool night air was sharp on their skin but JJ was the one who recoiled from it slightly. Hotch involuntarily put a hand to the small of her back and then wondered what would be more awkward--leaving it there or obviously removing it.

Feeling the warm pressure through her jacket made JJ look up at the man standing next to her. A small smile escaped her before she looked away but it was all Hotch needed to make the decision to leave his hand where it was.

They walked to the car in an easy silence.

"You okay to drive?" he asked.

"Yeah." She shuffled her feet as a gust of wind moved her hair. "But-there's a diner on the next block over. Maybe some coffee...."

"Sounds good." Hotch agreed with a smile as they turned and walked side by side toward the diner.

Once inside they sat in a window booth and each ordered coffee.

"Sure ya don't want decaf, hon?" The waitress confirmed.

"No, I think we'll be up for a while." Hotch answered easily as JJ slid out of her jacket and leaned back in the booth. Within a minute the waitress reappeared with two white mugs and a carafe of coffee. She poured one mug for each before retreating to her other tables.

JJ poured cream in her coffee and stirred it slowly. "Do you ever wonder..." She began, eyeing the spoon as she moved it around.

"What?"

"I mean, I know it's creepy but....do you ever wonder what's going on right now that we'll get a call for. Like, sometimes when I read over a file, I remember that as that crime was happening I was at the park with Henry or on the jet or..."

"You'll remember sitting in a diner."

"Yeah." She smiled. "I told you I know it's creepy."

"With what we do I think it's normal."

She nodded. "What about this? Is this normal?"

Hotch leaned back in his seat, taking the change in tone and subject in stride, and considered his answer."Us at a diner?" He looked at her, watching. "Or, _us_ at a diner."

JJ bit her lip gently as she smiled. "The latter." she confirmed. "What are we doing?" She asked good naturedly.

"JJ, I don't know what this is. But I think it's obvious something has changed. I saw it coming and I thought it would be...uncomfortable...but the strange thing is how comfortable it actually is."

She nodded and Hotch let out a small breath.

"You saw it coming, huh?" She teased. "Didn't know I was that obvious." A pause and then,  
"It really is, isn't it. Almost...easy." It was a statement, not a question. Spending time with Hotch felt right to her, natural. She was happy to hear that he felt the same.

His response was only a smile as his open hand extended slowly across the table. She returned the smile, happy at the small but important gesture, and took his hand.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Yes, I did ask Santa for the rights to Criminal Minds but it wasn't to be this year. I'm assuming they just wouldn't fit down the chimney but that he'll work on it for next year. But for now, nope, not even remotely mine.

Also, this story has taken a detour and I'm trying to get it back on track. I'm sorry for the delay in updating and am very, VERY grateful for the lovely reviews and messages. I'm hopeful to get this story back in gear and finish it up soon. If you have any ideas feel free to let me know

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It had been a few weeks of continuing to take things slowly. Some days they had lunch together, some days they didn't. Neither really knew what to do as far as the next step. They knew that with working together it could be tricky. There was a code of conduct that they'd both sworn to but knew how loosely it was both observed and enforced. There had been no more late night diner visits and with Henry returned from his visit with Will, JJ spent her personal time at home with him. Both Hotch and JJ were painfully aware of the line they were walking and though they'd peeked over it, they hadn't taken any real steps toward crossing it. This fact just about drove Garcia insane.

"_Seriously_, JJ. Make a move already." Garcia scolded over a pint of chicken chow mein. The women sat in JJ's office eating a late lunch while Garcia dug for details and JJ offered none."You are the most boring couple—ever." Penelope stabbed at her noodles with her chopsticks, emphatically punctuating her last word.

"Okay, A, we're not a couple. Or—"Momentarily, JJ looked confused as she tried to offer a definition for her growing and changing relationship with Aaron Hotchner, and realized she didn't have one. "No, we're not. We're just—we're becoming….friends." At Garcia's blatantly disgusted look, JJ muttered. "Oh, just eat your lunch."

Secretly, Penelope was happy for her best girl. Friends wasn't what she was looking for for her friend, but real friendship with her Boss seemed to be a rarity and as far as she was concerned it was a step in the right direction for both of them.

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Cases had come and gone and JJ had been up and down on the jet more times than she could count in a short period of time.

"Is it just me," she groaned to Morgan as they collected their Go bags and readied to deplane. "Or are we logging way more frequent miles than normal?"

He answered first with a tired smile. "It does seem like we've done more than our share but it's no worse than usual. You wishin' for a 9 to 5, JJ?" Morgan teased.

She recoiled instinctively. "God, no! " She laughed and looked over her shoulder, still smiling.

Hotch was behind them listening quietly and he answered her smile with a short nod. The door opened and the steps were unfolded. The cool Virginia air quickly filled the cabin. "Ready?" He re-shouldered his bag in response and followed the line, mentally adding one more small piece to the lovely puzzle he still considered JJ.

* * *

"JJ, can I see you in my office?" Hotch asked as he walked through the bullpen. JJ was enjoying a break from her office and spooning a splenda into her coffee.

"Sure thing." She answered over her shoulder.

Hotch passed the small coffee area and continued along, and when JJ turned from the counter, coffee in hand, she was met by Emily's smug smile.

"What? What is _this_?" JJ gruffed good naturedly. "Garcia got to you too?" She rolled her eyes as she purposely moved past her friend.

"I'm not sayin' anything." Emily retorted as her friend moved toward the stairs. "Except that I'm just sayin'…" she smiled, watching JJ shake her head as she moved up and toward the open door to Hotch's office.

"Do you think she always calls him Hotch?" Emily murmured as she walked toward her desk area. Reid overheard.

"Why would she call him something else?" Reid perplexed.

"I don't know _Spencer,_" she sighed, sitting down. "Because he does have a first name."

"It's not typically considered good office dynamics to call superiors by—"

"Forget it Spence. Reid." Emily interrupted and was glad at that second for her ringing land line. "Prentiss," she answered."

Hotch was sitting behind his desk, going through a folder of paperwork when JJ came through his door. He looked up as she stood in the doorway. "Come in," he motioned to the chair in front of his desk.

The coffee cup in JJ's hand was hot and she moved it back and forth between her hands as she sat.

"I'm purposely keeping the door open," Hotch began. "to keep this as professional as possible."

JJ nodded but was already confused. "Okay," she let out slowly.

Hotch didn't quite know how to do this but had been mentally practicing for the past half hour. He hadn't really even considered doing something like this for the past twenty years and a mere thirty minutes of practicing silently didn't seem to really be enough preparation. But he was willing to take a chance. Sitting behind his desk was probably not his best idea but he was so focused on finding the simplest way to make his request that he realized he didn't know what to do with himself past that.

"I was wondering—if you could get a sitter on such short notice, if you'd like to have dinner with me. Tonight. At a restaurant." He watched her as he spoke and then looked down and moved a few papers around.

The slow smile crept over JJ's face as she understood. After stealing a quick look out through the window to the bullpen she turned back to the man behind the desk. Anyone looking in would think they were going over a new case, going over a press release or simply tying up loose ends. "Are you asking me out? On a date? I mean, for dinner?"

"If you can." He tapped the pen between his fingers on his desk, obviously uncomfortable. JJ could see his distress and thought it adorable.

Maintaining her professional decorum she pursed her lips as she purposely mulled over his offer. "Will you be picking me up?" She lifted a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear as she overtly played along with his ruse and lifted up in her seat to point to one of the papers.

"JJ…"

"We're being professional, right?" She reached over and pulled a pen from its container along with a stack of yellow post it notes. Quickly, she scribbled something on the top one before ripping it off and placing on one of the papers on the desk.

Hotch looked at it: 8pm. He placed his palms on the desk and leaned back a bit. "I didn't do this right." He acknowledged good naturedly.

JJ stood up. "We'll work on it." She assured him, smiling as she walked toward the doorway. Crossing it, the smile vanished and she gave a pointed look toward Emily, who had been joined by Garcia, as she purposely ignored them and walked the long way back to her office. Pushing through the glass doors to the hallway the smile reappeared full blast.


End file.
